Second Chances
by NoGameNoLife07Ghost
Summary: Thunderclan was isolated for their mixed blood, considered the weakest in the forest. Shunned and bullied, they planned to join the Dark Forest, until a mysterious cat appeared out of nowhere and killed the corrupted leaders of the other clans. Such power at a young age, but Lightpaw's eyes held sadness, had seen what most shouldn't see. In other words, Fate gave them a chance.


**So I wanted to try out writing Warrior Cats fanfiction, since I have been a hardcore cats fan since I was eight. Give me some feedback, leave a review and follow this story. I'll be posting as regularly as I can. This is rated T, just to be safe. Some angst, blood and tears will continue along the way.**

 **Second Chances**

 _Chapter One: Reset_

The blazing fiery ball of orange and red known as the sun was going down, casting deep shadows over the forest and smooth rocks that littered the mountain side. The mountains were covered with a rug of trees: green, yellow and scarlet, but their bare tops were scarfed and beribboned with a light dusting of white snow. From carved rocky outcrops, raging waterfalls drifted like skeins of white lawn and the amber glint of rivers and the occasional flash of a mountain lake shone brightly.

The dying sun shed blood-red light over his pelt, touching the numerous scars that covered his lithe body. From his position over the top of the gorge, he could see his home in a great line like the spine of the land; it was as if a long time ago a magnificent great beast came to lie down there to rest, only, it never got up. Sighing, he bounded towards the woods, the darkness reaching out and merging him as one with the shadows.

He leapt from branch to branch in an astounding grace, silent as the still wind in the air which seemed to whisper secret nothings in his ears. Sniffing the air cautiously, the tom grasped the thin strip of branch beneath him in a firm grip, before propelling himself downwards with a strong push from his hind legs. He clawed his way down the oak tree, finally squeezing himself into the hollow carved deep into the bark.

"The scent of fox near the river threw them off our tracks," he mewed as he slipped into the narrow space, his nose wrinkling at the smell of stale moss. "Along with the false trails, we are safe for at least a day, hopefully more."

A pale gray tabby lay deep among the dead leaves and toadstools, her gaze glazed and unfocused. However those eyes lit up at the sight of her mate, and the former medicine cat of Windclan staggered unsteadily on her paws, only to have a fit of coughing plagued her chest. Lightclaw rushed to her side, gently settling the she-cat against the bark wall. Rubbing her back in soothing circles with the tip of his tail, the white-furred tom assessed her with worried eyes.

"I'm fine." Amberfall rasped; her mew rough and her breathing heavy from the recent fit. Lightclaw closed his eyes, not to shut out the fact that his lover was dying, but to strangle the wails of despair threatening to erupt from his throat. They were the only survivors able to escape the bloodbath, leaving the comfort of their homes behind to avoid the threat that followed close behind. Perhaps the last living souls that were not brainwashed by the Dark Forest; Thunderclan had been thorough.

He didn't even realized that he was shivering until Amberfall pulled him into her warm embrace, her tail ghosting over his now matted pelt. Lightclaw stiffened, surprised at the sudden display of affection but remained quiet. She started to groom him like a new-born kit with its mother, covering him with loving strokes of her tongue, tugging lightly before she stilled.

"It's time," she murmured, and in all these moons knowing her, her mew was nearly soft.

Lightclaw turned away, refusing to meet her stare. He had known the plan for moons, ever since Amberfall came back from venturing into Starclan and obtaining the forbidden berry, a one-way ticket for only one cat. Ever since the strange sickness began to spread over her entire body, their efforts in finding a cure futile, he was chosen to do it.

After so many moons of companionship, it seemed that they're all but sharing brainwaves. Amberfall's eyes narrowed at the tom's abrupt silence, and proceeded to yank on his right ear with her teeth, showing her former fire and temper before illness claimed her. Lightclaw yelped, jerking back to glare at her with promises of vengeance. The anger was short-lived, and the white tom lowered his head away from the she-cat's questioning eyes, knowing Amberfall would probably chastise him for the thoughts swimming around his head. "I know this…but I still think – "

"You're such a mouse-brain." But her bright green eyes were warm in the way they're rarely were. They were bright, sorrowful and yet a small shred of amusement still lingered. "And stop thinking. It overtaxes your puny brain."

"I appreciate the compliment," Lightclaw rolled his eyes, since sarcasm was still available in the end of their worlds. The childishness wearing off, he sighed and leaned forward, their foreheads touching and their breaths mingling in the chilly air. He tried to smile, but the corners of his mouth wouldn't go up. So he opted for a laugh, empty and filled with grief. "If I did go, what about us? Then this – "

"Is all in your past," Amberfall unsheathed her claws, digging deep into the rotten bedding of the hollow. "You're going back to where it all began, but as a different cat. You can change what's going to happen in the future. A different timeline, but your counterpart would not be there." Her smile was like a flash of white glinting in the darkness. "There can't be two cats with the same souls."

At the thought of what's coming, the pale gray tabby closed her eyes in weariness, the troubled aching in her heart throbbing stronger and faster. While she had accepted her expiration date snapping at her heels closer than before, Amberfall was sending the one she loved spiraling into a world he did not understand, alone and without allies, their enemies surrounding them at every turn.

She remembered the smoking carnage that was left of their home, the grass staining her paws ruby-red as she fled the forest with Lightclaw, the sight of her clanmates' broken and mangled bodies all over the camp. Windclan was gone, so were Riverclan and Shadowclan. The pair had taken refuge in the mountains, Thunderclan still chasing the last medicine cat and warrior of the clans. They woke to the sounds of their own screams, visions of cats being butchered and killed right in front of their eyes haunting their nightmares.

"You'll save every cat right?" The medicine cat's mew was hushed, suddenly insecure, "You'll save _me_ , won't you?"

Fighting the lump in his throat, Lightclaw nodded furiously, tears spilling from the corners of his eyes. He buried his muzzle into her shoulder fur, trying to clamp down on the sobs that wrecked his frame. Amberfall purred softly, twining their tails and resting her chin on the top of his head. Her fur was silky, smelling of the rain and fresh leaves and everything that screamed and promised comfort and a safe place.

"Always, my wild love," Amberfall breathed; her tongue ghosting over his ears affectionately for the last time, and Lightclaw felt his heart clenched, because Amberfall never used that endearment for a long time. The one time those words passed her lips, Lightclaw had been plagued with greencough in the middle of Leafbare, when herbs were hard to come by. Hidden in the shadows of the medicine cat den, Amberfall had licked his cheek lovingly, murmuring those words over and over again as he faded in and out of consciousness.

But here, death was not an option. Something else would be tearing them apart, lost to each other for eternity.

"Always," Lightclaw repeated, heartfelt and true to the core. "I'll forever – "

"NO," The sadness and desolation from her mew had disappeared, replaced with a burning hot surge of anger that gleamed from the depths of her emerald eyes. She lashed her tail, her ears flattened against her head. Amberfall wrenched herself free from Lightclaw's grip, fury and loss contorted on her features as she snarled, "Don't you dare promise me that Lightclaw. It won't be me, but find someone you can _love_ again and…" She trailed off, her gaze pleading as she faced the white tom.

"You deserve another mate, to _feel_ this again." Her eyes were glassy; the pain etched deep in them seemed to have no bottom for it.

Lightclaw flinched, but knew he could never won against Amberfall in this fight. He would always love her steely determination, her hot-headed temper, her impenetrable stubbornness and everything else about her.

When he answered, his mew was ragged and resigned. "I'll try." Amberfall's eyes softened at his reply; and she leaned forward once more to knock their heads together. Her life was to be seeped away in a matter of sunrises – Lightclaw had to start over in a land so similar and yet foreign to him.

They exited the hollow of the tree together, taking their time to scramble down the branches and landing safely on lower ground. Amberfall disappeared among the roots of the oak tree, to wriggle out between the gnarled roots with a beautiful blue berry that seemed to be pulsing a little life of its own.

Following the trickling of a lake, they journeyed through the forest, the trees surrounding them giving cover with their thick canopy of glossy leaves. Night time had fallen a few hours ago. Avoiding stray twigs and rocks, the duo continued down the path that soon lead to their destination: the murmur of water that surged from a black hole in a pile of boulders, coiling into a large pool before winding away into the distance and beyond the eyes can see. Moonlight poured down onto the surface of the pool, giving off a slivery glow that was radiant and serene at the same time.

Carefully lowering themselves to sit on a firm patch of marshy soil, Lightclaw inhaled the sharp wind of the night air, trying to soothe the pain growing at the inevitable as Amberfall placed the glowing berry between them.

He turned his gaze to meet her stare, only to find the same despair mirrored back. Trying hard not to tremble, Amberfall slowly reached forward with a paw and touch Lightclaw's cheek. Closing her eyes, she traced the contours of his face, relishing in the soft touch of his ears and the scars that marred the right side of his face, earned through his battle with a dog in his early apprentice days.

She didn't open her eyes, knowing that his unusual pearly-white fur would be giving off a brilliant halo, a dazzling white if placed under the sun. However, there was a splotch of red fur that was aligned on his chest, right on his heart. Amberfall remembered placing her ear at that particular patch of fur, loving the way she could hear his heartbeat thumping with a firm rhythm. Another part of Lightclaw she loved dearly was the feather that hung from his right ear, a blue jay's feather.

The same blue as Lightclaw's eyes.

"Keep this?" Amberfall asked before she can stop herself. "Just… just this one."

 _For me._ Amberfall didn't need to say that. Lightclaw would know; would understand better than any cat.

Lightclaw's smile was so full of pain and sorrow, of grief and hurt, and Amberfall found herself against his side, their pelts brushing together and their tails twined. Somehow, the wound in her heart lessened, and she pressed her muzzle against his, before pushing him away. Because if Lightclaw doesn't leave now, he never will and they would try to find another way until all hope was lost.

"Go."

"I love you," Lightclaw whispered, those blue eyes that were the warmth for Amberfall's cold nights gleaming brightly as he positioned the Recreation Berry delicately in between his jaws, before engulfing it whole.

His body started to give off a blue aura, which crackled and rippled as the light shone on the entire clearing. Lightclaw was suddenly suspended in air, and Amberfall's breath hitched as his long white fur glowed even brighter than ever. The tabby dared to step closer; the tears that threatened to spill earlier now ran berserk down her muzzle. The tom she loved opened his eyes, revealing those startling blue irises once more. He bared his teeth in a fierce grin.

 _One last time._

"I love you." She replied, knowing Lightclaw would hear it over the snapping and buzzing of power. They don't say if often, but that's alright. There were a world of words that echoed in the space between them, but one look was enough. Their eyes, blue and green, met each other and were held in a single endless moment.

And he was gone.

Amberfall fell back onto her haunches, trembling and shaking from the tips of her ears to the ends of her claws. A cough was spluttered out from her, and the medicine cat dragged herself to the base of one of the trees surrounding the clearing. She watched the lake before her, observed the way the moonlight caught the surface of the water.

The farewell lingered in the air, and the she-cat took comfort in it. Her time was closing up on her, hard and fast. The Thunderclan cats had most probably seen that large explosion of light as well, and were probably heading in her direction swiftly.

 _Not long now._ And with Lightclaw gone, forever lost to her, Amberfall truly didn't mind dying. The Thunderclan cats would come for her, destroy the clans' last connection to Starclan, or she would meet her death when the sun rises two more times.

Whatever it was, the clans still won.


End file.
